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1st Summit is on it's way, what to do??

My first summit is due later this week, are there any "must have" mods for my new summit? I plan to use it for everything but the track, I have a Slash 4x4 for that. I think that the low gear setting will be great to teach my 4 year old son how to drive an R/C vehicle.

Get it out of the box and drive it. There are some things down the road you might want to do. I have six summits that I use for me and my grandsons. The 4 for the Grandsons are all still stock and I felt it best to leave them that way. I have done some minor mods on the other 2 - lowered the body , changed tires, stiffer springs. I did get the Lipo batteries from SPC - 8200mah, 2s, 50c and a real good charger the Hitec 4, which charges 4 batteries at a time. The lipos last about 3 times longer than the stock NIMH batteries that come with the Summit, I got tired of changing the batteries for all the Summits!!!!
I found to my surprise that the summit in low gear with or without the diffs were perfect for my grandsons. They are 4, 6, 9, and 12. The older ones are allowed to run in hi speed and they do great. I am still amazed at the abuse these Summits can take and everything is still fine. They are great R/Cs I think you will be impressed. Welcome to the forum and ask lots of questions there are some really knowledgeable people here.

For "must have" the double orange is on that list. Stock springs are VERY soft and the rear squats real bad when you hit the throttle. Lipo's DEF provide more fun as run times are a lot longer and stronger.

If it's not broken and not providing much better performance, don't fix it. You can buy bumpers if and when they break. I've taken a few hard rolls and nose dives without needing to replace.

Only thing i can think about is that you drive nice and slow the first packs (nimh or lipo) so you break it in properly.
My Titan 775 had a little rough start, so i think i have to change it now. (4 months after i got the truck) They don't cost that much, and is easy to replace but it's better to do it the right way the first time.

I also managed to break the front bumper mount.
RPM 80932 Front Bumper Mount Black Summit <-- replaced it with this, cheap and will last the life of your Summit!

Just leave it stock until you find something you can't stand. That is what you upgrade. Anyway, I would get 2s lipo, a led light bar for top, and maybe Proline Trenchers (if you need some off road "style").

I agree, take it out and play, play, play You'll begin modding when you feel there's a certain activity you enjoy more than the others. I enjoy climbing and crawling, my son bashes about (as much as a Summit will "bash").

The only thing that has been "broken" on my Summit is the front bumper mount. RPM will fix that right up.

Welcome aboard! Lipos are a must have. I personally would buy some axle tubes (long/short) just in case, so you're not down and waiting. There are too many things you can upgrade or modify to list. FREE mods are best. Like anything your imagination and your wallet size are your only limitations. Browse the Summit FAQ and Gallery threads for help with ideas. If you plan on crawling I disagree on stiffer springs. The stiffer the suspension the less flex it will have under its own weight. If the rear squat is an issue for you as a crawler try heavier shock oil to absorb the initial weight load under hard acceleration.

I appreciate all of the input, you guys are really helpful. This is my first Summit and I have wanted one for about 5 years. I have the double orange springs on order. I'm exited to get this thing and tower is lagging on sending it, my son asks me everyday if the new "monster truck" is here yet

Regarding batteries, I have some new Lipo 2s 5900mah packs ready to go, does the stock traxxas ESC have a lipo cutoff? I ordered the Summit that comes with the Nimh batteries and want to be sure.

Look on the ESC and it should say LVD (low voltage detection) on it. If so you have LVD. Read your manual on how to activate the LVD. Dont put your NIMH batteries in and activate the LVD. I now only use lipos My Nimh batteries are paper weights now. I checked on the springs and found per the Traxxas specs that the stiffest springs are the double purple. I installed them and like then a lot.

Get it out of the box and drive it. There are some things down the road you might want to do. I have six summits that I use for me and my grandsons. The 4 for the Grandsons are all still stock and I felt it best to leave them that way. I have done some minor mods on the other 2 - lowered the body , changed tires, stiffer springs. I did get the Lipo batteries from SPC - 8200mah, 2s, 50c and a real good charger the Hitec 4, which charges 4 batteries at a time. The lipos last about 3 times longer than the stock NIMH batteries that come with the Summit, I got tired of changing the batteries for all the Summits!!!!
I found to my surprise that the summit in low gear with or without the diffs were perfect for my grandsons. They are 4, 6, 9, and 12. The older ones are allowed to run in hi speed and they do great. I am still amazed at the abuse these Summits can take and everything is still fine. They are great R/Cs I think you will be impressed. Welcome to the forum and ask lots of questions there are some really knowledgeable people here.

Thanks Brick57, I'm sure I will end up with more than one Summit

Tower still has the Summit (on order) with no ETA, I may just opt for the Lipo version that is in stock, but the Lipo version is $125 more and the only difference I can see is the two Lipo batteries. Am I missing something?

A quality charging setup and your set for some serious hikes.lol
Got anything steep and nasty?
Well,Find something harder,lol
Once you have run it for a bit the definition of steep and nasty changes dramatically.Dramatically.

A quality charging setup and your set for some serious hikes.lol
Got anything steep and nasty?
Well,Find something harder,lol
Once you have run it for a bit the definition of steep and nasty changes dramatically.Dramatically.

Sent using lipo power

Funny how that happens, huh?

I need to get it first and then figure out how to drive it. All of my past cars/trucks have been bashers (Tmaxx, Savage, LST, MGT, Revo, E-revo, Emaxx, slash, slash 4x4, axial AX10) LOL

The Summits i bought had the NIMH. I believe the only difference is the lipo batteries. And from memory they are not real great lipos. Your link above from SPC are the ones I bought and they are amazing batteries. Like Jamann said get a good charger, no fun waiting on a cheap charger. I have the Hitec 4x and is really does me well. They make the same charger that charges two at a time instead of 4, but for the extra money I could not pass up the 4X. I put the double purple springs on the rear and am going to try CROCK'S trick of the 80 weight oil in the shocks. The double purple help but still get sag when i accelerate. Better start exercising your legs because the Summit will work you out more than you work the Summit. Keep us updated and let us know what you think.